New Member & My CM23

[ajcampen]

Great job

[nolaboater99]

Impressive job. Don't rush anything, you'll be looking at it forever. That's the problem with do-it-yourself, you know where every flaw it located.

Flaws? What flaws?

[nolaboater99]

Right now there is still a lot exposed. It will all be covered in a couple of days....

[Ytmsn]

Looks fantastic!

[hoghead54]

Looks really nice to me.

[thunder550]

Amazing job Shawn!

[Driller]

Impressive job. Don't rush anything, you'll be looking at it forever. That's the problem with do-it-yourself, you know where every flaw it located.

Flaws? What flaws?

I should have said, "if there are any". I certainly don't see anything wrong with what you have done so far. It's a first class restoration.

[nolaboater99]

Again....thanks everyone. Your comments are encouraging. And Memorial Day Weekend came and went and it is still on the trailer. The upholstery shop now tells me it will be the middle of next week before they're finished. I have plenty of other tasks to do.

What I really need is for someone to come and give me a hand. I need to put it in the water and run it so I can place the transducer for the new depth gauge. All of my friends work and I was hoping to avoid the crowds and do it on a weekday. I need to get this done so I can put the floor in. I know the bottom pretty well and I wonder how bad it would be if I just picked a clean spot and installed it. It is a shoot-through-the-hull model.

Yesterday I began prepping the fuel tank for the installation and discovered 3 of the 5 screw holes where the gauge sender mounts are stripped. Now I have to figure that out. I think I'll go with the next size screw and use a self-tapping one.

[thunder550]

If it's a shoot-through model, why do you need to run it? I thought you were talking about a transom mount and you wanted to see water turbulence coming off the lower transom lip. I'd just find a flat spot near the back of the boat, somewhere that's solid fiberglass with no core material.

Are you going to epoxy to the inner hull, or build a little reservoir to fill with fluid for the transducer to set in?

[nolaboater99]

If it's a shoot-through model, why do you need to run it? I thought you were talking about a transom mount and you wanted to see water turbulence coming off the lower transom lip. I'd just find a flat spot near the back of the boat, somewhere that's solid fiberglass with no core material.

Are you going to epoxy to the inner hull, or build a little reservoir to fill with fluid for the transducer to set in?

It is a shoot through. It comes with it's own reservoir that you silicone to the inside of the hull, fill with ethylene glycol (anti-freeze) and the transducer locks in with a twist and seals. I don't think this hull is cored (1985) and there are several places that the running surface will be clean. I'm sincerely leaning towards what you just suggested. I've put enough of these in over the years to know where the right spot is. I am going to add this to tomorrow's list of tasks so I can get the fuel tank in, the floor panels down and the engine cover on. Thanks for the push.
Shawn

[thunder550]

Awesome! No prob

[nolaboater99]

Trying not to get frustrated but it seems like for every step I make forward I take 2 steps back. I'm still dealing with wiring gremlins. Yesterday, after I bundled up all the wiring behind the instrument/ switch panel, the outdrive would not go up or down. The solenoid made the chattering sound like when a battery is dead. So I put the batteries on the charger. No change. Decided to buy new batteries as these are 4 years old. Installed the new batteries and....no change. So, what changed from before I cleaned up the wiring?

I replaced the 50 amp breaker for the trim motor a few days ago. I went back and looked at the wiring and noticed some corrosion at the terminals at that breaker. Disconnected the wire from the battery to the trim pump and connected a jumper. Bingo....all was well. So I replaced the old wire with a new 8 gauge wire and all new terminals and all is well but that took half a day.

So now time to clean up the bilge, bumped the 500 GPH bilge pump and the discharge hose fitting snaps off. Found a replacement that I will have to install tomorrow. I guess It's really good I am finding these things now before everything is put back together. In hindsight I wish I had replaced all the wiring and terminals but I guess that's almost where I am.

Never time to do it right but always time to do it over....

[nolaboater99]

Had a good few days putting the boat back together. I'm still waiting on the 3 interior pieces that I should have late Thursday. But while I'm waiting I got a few more pieces back in.

This boat came with a wet bar. I rebuilt it a couple of years ago and it's just been sitting. I never really liked the finish I used back then so I stripped last week it and refinished it with the same stuff I have been using on all the other wood. The Bar Is Open!

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I have also been putting the cabinets and bulkheads back in along with some of the trim. The helm cabinet is almost finished....

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All of these cabinets were originally finished with a teak-look laminate that I always hated so when I rebuilt them I covered them with real teak veneer and finished with 4-6 coats of Minwax Spar polyurethane in a clear satin finish. Much more natural and classy looking I think.

Tomorrow morning the 52 gallon fuel tank goes back in and as soon as I get all the hoses and vent lines installed I'm towing it to the gas station to put in some gas, Then back here to the house to start her up. I'm close....I hope.

Shawn

[Big Block Power]

It truly looks awesome. Love the colors.

[Ytmsn]

A new boat!